Living Well Is The Best Revenge
by mmouse15
Summary: G1 AU. From the kink meme - what if an ugly duckling youngster grew up to be beautiful and his childhood tormentor was attracted to him?


Title: Living Well Is The Best Revenge

Universe: G1 AU  
Characters: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Trailbreaker, Ironhide, ensemble  
Content: younglings tormenting another, violence, sticky sex  
A few notes:

This is a kink meme fill. The prompt was for an ugly duckling mechling to turn into a beautiful mech, and to have someone that teased him when he was young become his admirer when they were older. One of the anons replying to the prompt suggested Sunstreaker as the tormentor and Trailbreaker as the one who was teased, and the story unfurled in my head.

Time units I use are

_A __**breem**__ is approximately __**eight minutes. **_

_A __**joor**__ is approximately __**six and a half hours.**_

_A __**cycle**__ is approximately __**one planetary revolution, aka a day.**_

_An __**orn**__ is approximately __**thirteen days**__ or __**two weeks.**_

_A __**vorn**__ is approximately __**eighty-three years.**_

I want to thank my three betas, antepathy, aniay, and nkfloofiepoof. They kindly read over this story when I got stuck and were most helpful in redirecting where I was going with this fic. Without their thoughtful suggestions and their time, this story would not have been finished. Thank you, beta readers!

Also, this is AU. I'm not using any specific continuity for origins of mechs or citystates or the war. It's mostly based upon G1 for appearances of the mechs, but origins have been thrown out and recreated wholly from my headspace.

* * *

"Too slow!" The yellow troublemaker yelled as his followed his red brother around the corner, leaving the black mechling behind.

Trailbreaker drooped. It was true, he wasn't as fast as Sunstreaker or his brother, but he wasn't slow, either. He continued on his way to their school, gradually joined by other mechlings as they all walked to school.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were on the best playground toy, a rotating teeter-totter that every kid wanted to play on but rarely could because the brothers grabbed it first. Trailbreaker gazed at it longingly, but went to go play a chase-me-chase-you game with the other mechlings until the bell sounded.

They lined up in their respective lines, waiting for their teachers to appear at the door and beckon them into the halls of learning. Trailbreaker loved school and looked forward to going. Vacations were a disappointment to him, since his parents worked long hours in the enforcers and planning divisions, and he spent a lot of time alone when it was vacation time. He preferred school days. At least he had something to do during those days.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were looking back at him and snickering to themselves. Trailbreaker ignored them until Sunstreaker called out, "Hey, Trailbreaker! Going to be as slow in class today as you are getting here?"

A calm voice answered him, "Since I don't think Trailbreaker is slow in any way, Sunstreaker, I believe you owe him an apology." Their teacher, Electrum, stared down at them.

"Sorry, Trailbreaker," muttered Sunstreaker, looking down at his pedes.

"It's alright," Trailbreaker answered by rote. They both knew the apology and the acceptance were meaningless; the rules they abided by in school had no bearing on the rules of the street. Sunstreaker and his brother were well-formed mechlings, sleek and fast and obviously meant for bigger things, popular with other younglings, while Trailbreaker was slow, awkwardly formed, and lonely. He found refuge in his datafiles and a few mechlings that had similar problems to his own.

Trailbreaker hunched his shoulders as the line started moving into the building. The mechlings were split into various groups depending upon who was going where. He was off to study higher mathematics since he showed an aptitude for multi-dimensional mathematical thinking. Sunstreaker was going to a class on proportion for his art track, while Sideswipe was going to a class on tax structures. Sometimes, Trailbreaker wished his track was more popular, but he shut the idle line of thought down; he was doing what he was good at and he enjoyed his classes. The only time he really had to spend any time around the twins was the walk to and from school and in their homeroom, since they were assigned the same teacher. He felt lucky, since there were mechlings that had to spend a lot more time with Sideswipe or Sunstreaker than he ever did.

Trailbreaker's classes went well, and he needed to speak with his teacher about their latest assignment, so he missed the normal group that walked back to his apartment complex and walked home alone. It felt…nice. He was able to focus on the sky and the line of clouds over the distant mountains instead of on defending himself from Sunstreaker's nasty comments. He thought about that as he walked and made a decision.

The next morning, Trailbreaker got up earlier, had his morning energon and left for school. He arrived before many of the teachers and buried himself in the technology lab, working on the latest theorem his teacher had assigned. When the bell rang, he simply walked to the classroom rather than going outside to line up. He was waiting in one of the front seats for the rest of the class when they walked in behind the teacher. Sunstreaker never had a chance to say anything to him, and Trailbreaker found his day passing in a manner far more pleasant than the previous day.

In this way, Trailbreaker figured out how to avoid Sunstreaker and the other mechlings that teased him, and as he advanced in his schooling, he found his passion in strategy rather than tactics. Strategy involved looking at multiple episodes and figuring out how they connected to each other, whereas tactics involved thinking about a single engagement and how it should be run. Trailbreaker had the ability to make intuitive leaps that were more often right than wrong. As he continued through the Academy, he found he could use his ability in the business world, helping figure out how to allocate resources to line of research that were fruitful. Trailbreaker made a comfortable living and found that he had a natural ability to ease mechs around him because he listened more than he talked.

Then Cybertronian society fell apart and war came. Trailbreaker had seen the discontent and the seeming inability of the Council to properly allocate resources, specifically energon, to satisfy the working mechs and femmes of the lower ranks of society. He'd listened to their de facto leader, Megatron, and had thought long and hard about joining the Decepticons.

That is, until Optimus Prime arose from those same lower class ranks. Once Trailbreaker saw the new Prime, he knew the direction of his spark's wish and he joined the Autobots shortly thereafter.

The first thing he did before joining was pay for upgrades to his plating, turning normal plates into armor and adding weapons systems. He also paid for an upgrade that had an unfortunate side effect but would make him almost invulnerable. He bought a force field generator. The biggest problem with the generator was that it burned through energon one thousand times faster than his normal usage, but Trailbreaker felt the disadvantage was offset by the extremely durable field it generated. It also slowed him down, but again, Trailbreaker felt that the advantages offset the disadvantages.

Trailbreaker spent his last night in his apartment checking over step he'd taken. He'd withdrawn all his credits and had paid for the upgrades. He'd sold all his furnishings and most of his book files. He'd uploaded his tactical and strategy textbooks into a special processor he'd had installed, and he'd given notice on his apartment after finding an Autobot camp and offering his services. He'd been given three days to wrap up his affairs and report for duty, so he'd given notice to the manager of his apartment.

Trailbreaker was ready to start the next phase of his life.

When Trailbreaker walked into the recruiting office the next morning, he had planned everything. He was organized and methodical and soon found himself meeting the Prime's chief tactician, who ran the tactical planning department where Trailbreaker would be working. He met some of his fellow mechs in the department before being released to the tender mercies of the Prime's chief weapons and training specialist, Ironhide, to evaluate the weapons systems he'd had installed and see what else he needed to have done.

Trailbreaker maintained a good attitude throughout the grueling tests Ironhide subjected him to, drawing a 'well done' at the end of the day. He accepted Ironhide's offer to show him around the base and they spent a couple of breems walking around before going to the cantina.

Trailbreaker knew he wasn't a good looking mech, but it was nice to bask in Ironhide's appreciation of his abilities and his strategic thinking, the weapons he'd chosen and the reasons for his choices. It was nice to be _appreciated_.

As Trailbreaker was with the Autobots longer and longer, he found that he'd managed to find a group that felt comfortable around him, that he fit with and that understood how he thought and spoke. He was easy-going when it came to the inevitable conflicts, but was certainly willing to stand his ground in matters of strategy. He learned more about tactics with each battle, but found that he still had a better ability to look at multiple battles and figure out common themes and make very good guesses about the Decepticons' next moves.

So it was quite a surprise when his comfortable niche in the Autobots was disrupted by the advent of a new batch of recruits.

* * *

"Trailbreaker?"

Trailbreaker looked up from the strategy table where he was absorbed in studying the last five encounters with the Decepticons. The first battle he was studying, the Decepticons had changed their tactics and had beaten the Autobots badly, forcing a withdrawal from an outpost that had helped anchor the Autobot defensive line. The next four battles had used similar tactics but had not successfully driven any Autobots from any other outposts, although Trailbreaker could now see that it was only a matter of time. He looked up at the interruption.

"Yes, Ironhide?"

"Can you come down to the weapons range and help me? I've got a couple of new recruits that went through gladiator training, and I'd like to have someone down there that can withstand anything they throw." Ironhide asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sure, 'Hide, I'm happy to help. I'll need…" Trailbreaker broke off as Ironhide offered him two cubes of energon. He laughed and took them, subspacing one and drinking the other. "Thanks, 'Hide, you're the best."

"Nah, I couldn't do this without your help. Thanks, TB." Ironhide said. He waited until Trailbreaker had stored the scenarios in the table and locked it down, then led the way to the range.

A pair of mechs were waiting for them. Yellow and red, and Trailbreaker had a sudden seizing of his pump that took a couple of ex-vents to clear. They were gorgeous and stood with the loose-limbed stance of mechs that knew the value of taking a break where ever and whenever they could. They straightened up as Ironhide and Trailbreaker approached.

"TB, this is Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, mechs, this here's Trailbreaker." Ironhide introduced them, and Trailbreaker gave them a curt nod. His old schoolmates, now gladiators turned Autobot warriors, straightened even further and identical grins crept across their faces.

"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, 'Breaker." Sunstreaker purred.

Trailbreaker ignored them, moving out to the center of the range and waiting for Ironhide's instructions.

Ironhide looked from the twins to Trailbreaker, who shook his head. Ironhide nodded and began.

"Alright, mechs, here's how it works. I want you to attack Trailbreaker singly and then together. I'll be walking around and looking at what you do and how you do it. Your objective is to get TB down without hurting him, got it?"

The twins nodded, their optics gleaming. Trailbreaker braced himself.

"Go!"

Sideswipe came out first and lunged for Trailbreaker, who swung aside and used Sides' momentum to fling him into the far wall. Sideswipe snarled and bounded back, feinting with one hand, jabbing with the other, and kicking at the same time.

Trailbreaker blocked the feint and jab, then shifted and let the kick barely miss. He used the opportunity to kick sideways and knock Sideswipe off balance before delivering a blow to Sideswipe's torso that had him down.

"UP!" roared Ironhide. Sideswipe got to his pedes and walked back to his brother without looking back.

Sunstreaker came out and Trailbreaker watched him warily. Sunstreaker showed that the wariness was the right response when he got close, then lashed out with one fist while the other crossed his body for a follow-up blow.

Trailbreaker simply hinged back, blocking the first blow and letting the second one miss because he was too far away.

Sunstreaker continued to circle him, occasionally pushing out lightning-fast blows that Trailbreaker continued to block. Trailbreaker blessed the amount of training Ironhide had put him through after he'd joined the Autobots; his defensive moves were automatic now after so much repetition.

Sunstreaker lashed out again, Trailbreaker blocked, and this time, Sunstreaker followed up with a well-aimed kick that Trailbreaker had to dodge under. This time, though, Sunstreaker didn't stop but continued with the blows, sending a flurry of them Trailbreaker's way, punctuating them with the occasional kick.

Trailbreaker continued to give ground until Sunstreaker got a little sloppy and didn't pull his leg back quickly enough after a kick, then Trailbreaker crowded him and stuffed the next kick, aiming his own blows and driving Sunstreaker back, finally getting him with a kick followed by a backfist and follow-up punch. The third blow got through Sunstreaker's defenses and he was pushed backward. Trailbreaker snapped off another kick right to the abdomen, and Sunstreaker was down.

"Up!" Ironhide yelled and Trailbreaker backed off, waiting. Now he was in for it. The twins would be out to get him and it would be two on one.

Ironhide let them take a short break and evaluated their condition, reminding Trailbreaker to check his fuel levels. Trailbreaker pulled the second cube of energon out and topped off his tanks, sealing the remnants securely and tucking it back into his subspace before bracing himself. Ironhide nodded when he pinged Trailbreaker for a status, satisfied with the level of energy Trailbreaker was reporting to him.

They came at him, spaced one hundred twenty degrees apart, the best angle for making sure the target couldn't keep an optic on both of them at once while still doing a frontal attack. He chose to focus on Sunstreaker, considering him the more dangerous of the two and partially engaged his force field on Sideswipe's side.

The twins were extremely skilled at two-on-one combat, and Trailbreaker figured they'd honed this skill in the arenas during their gladiator days. Sideswipe punched at him, hoping to pull his attention set him up for Sunstreaker, but neither twin was expecting the force field. So the blow came and bounced off, while Trailbreaker effectively dealt with Sunstreaker's double punches by blocking them and following up with a kick, then whirling and punching at Sideswipe before landing back on guard facing Sunstreaker.

The fight continued and Trailbreaker found himself using his force field more often against the extremely effective attacks the twins unleashed upon him. Tactically, they were brilliant and since they were spark-split twins, they communicated on a level that couldn't be reproduced so they were moving as one unit.

"Up!" Ironhide finally called out, bringing out a cube of energon and handing it to Trailbreaker. "Thanks, TB, I really appreciate it. I'll hunt you up later, alright?"

Trailbreaker nodded, slamming the energon down. His systems were severely depleted from all that work. He left the twins with Ironhide and headed back to his strategy table, where he absorbed himself in data and pushed aside any thoughts about the twins and what they'd become.

* * *

"Wow." Sunstreaker said.

Sideswipe looked at him and grumbled, "That's the fourth time you've said that. He wasn't THAT impressive."

Sunstreaker looked at his brother and said, "The only mechs that were able to stand up to us when we double-teamed them were Megatron and Soundwave. That he ranks up that high is pretty impressive, Sides."

"Pft. He was lucky. He's got some kind of mod that helped." Sideswipe said, turning his attention to a long dent in his leg. He enabled some magnets in his fingers and pulled the dent out, helping his self-repair systems along.

Sunstreaker agreed, "Yeah, but he also knows how to fight. He's also pretty good-looking."

"I agree with that," Sideswipe said, coming behind Sunstreaker and checking his back for dents and scratches.

"Hard to believe that clumsy, mis-matched mechling grew into such a fine looking mech." Sunstreaker was gazing off dreamily. Sideswipe thwacked him on the back of the helm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For not paying attention. We're supposed to be repairing our damage and then Ironhide's going to take us around AND he said he'd meet up with Trailbreaker later, so if you want to see him again, you'll get your aft in gear and be on time!" Sideswipe huffed as he pulled out a container of polish to work some of the scratches out of his plating.

Sunstreaker firmed his mouth plates and glared at his twin, but did as he was supposed to, working quickly to clean up the damage and help Sideswipe with his damage. The red twin was a lot more dented than he was, and he had to pulled a couple of dents out of Sides' backside and legs. They were ready when Ironhide came back to collect them.

"Alright, then, let's get going." Ironhide said, beckoning them to follow.

Ironhide took them around to the various common points for the grunts of the army – the commissary, the arsenal, the shooting range, and the cantina. He brought them into the commissary and had the quartermaster issued them their identity chits, which would allow them to check out weapons and draw their rations in the cantina. They went to the cantina and Ironhide stepped them through the drawing of rations. It was a little different than the gladiator rings, but not too different. Ironhide then took them over to a table where another group of mechs was sitting and chatting.

"Hey, mechs, lemme introduce you to the gang." Ironhide said, "Fellows, this here's Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. They're twins, you mess with one you mess with them both, and they're from the gladiator pits. Sides, Sunny, this here's Cliffjumper, that's Hound, Jazz, Hauler, and Kup. Be nice, fellows, I gotta go dig TB out or he'll forget to fuel up."

Jazz laughed, "It seems to be ubiquitous in the tactics department. They get so caught up in their data they forget to refuel. I just dug Prowl out of a shut-down last orn. They drive Ratchet spare."

Hound chuckled, "We should just be glad they're so dedicated. That group does a lot to keep us alive."

"True," Hauler said, "here, mechs, pull up some chairs and join us."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker did so, pulling chairs from other tables and crowding around the two tables the group had pushed together. They both sat back and listened while the other five bantered back and forth. Finally Ironhide rejoined them, dragging Trailbreaker along with him.

"So, TB, come up with any insights into the latest string of defeats?" Cliffjumper asked.

"Yes," Trailbreaker answered, "but I want to discuss it with the team first."

Cliffjumper looked at him long and hard, then nodded. "Fair enough. So, I heard you helped 'Hide evaluate these two," he jerked a thumb at Sunny and Sides, "how were they?"

Trailbreaker groaned and dropped his head into a hand as the table laughed. Sunstreaker looked at his brother, who shrugged at him.

"CJ, are you ever going to let me live that down?" Trailbreaker moaned.

"No," Cliffjumper answered with a huge grin on his face. "Not until one or the other of us off-lines."

"And if it isn't you," Jazz said, "we'll keep it up in memory of CJ."

Intensely curious now, Sideswipe leaned forward and asked, "What's the joke?"

Kup took the bait, "Oh, our dear Trailbreaker here was horrified the first time Ironhide asked him to help, because evidently, when he was at the Academy, 'evaluate' was a code word for interfacing, which makes no sense and in my day, we'd never have used such a useful word that way. Anyway, TB here was kind of upset at the lack of professionalism we were displaying, talking about how good mechs were…"

"Enough, oh, Primus!" Trailbreaker moaned.

The table laughed and moved on, letting 'Breaker's embarrassment subside. Instead, they moved to the topic of the next battle until some signal apparently told them all that time was up. Trailbreaker headed out first with Jazz, Hound headed in another direction, while Kup grabbed Ironhide and was talking quietly to him.

"C'mon, I'll show you the way to the barracks from here," Cliffjumper offered. When he stood up, the twins realized that he wasn't just a short mech, he was a minibot. The gladiator pits rarely had minibots and when they showed up, they were soon destroyed. Sideswipe stifled a smirk, but Cliffjumper just looked up at them.

"I train with Trailbreaker. He just held his own against the two of you, and I regularly take him down by myself. Think about that." He turned and walked away, pausing at the door when they didn't follow him right away. That got them hustling to catch up. Cliffjumper delivered them to the barracks and checked them in before leaving without another word.

"More than meets the optics?" Sideswipe said.

"Seems that way with almost everybody we've met here today." Sunstreaker said, sliding onto his berth and composing himself for recharge.

* * *

Sunstreaker soon found himself watching Trailbreaker. The black mech was quiet but well-respected among the Autobots. Ironhide thought very highly of him and his abilities, and when Sunstreaker poked fun at Trailbreaker for how slow his alt-mode was, Ironhide told him flat out that Trailbreaker brought a lot more to the Autobots than speed. His strategic thinking, his willingness to work, his ability to protect those that needed protection…all worthy of respect in Ironhide's book. Sunstreaker apologized, abashed at the dressing down he'd gotten from the older mech. He would have been more antagonistic if Sideswipe had been there, but by himself, he was not as abrasive as when he was backed by his twin.

He watched, carefully, as Trailbreaker interacted with other mechs. Trailbreaker had friends everywhere, even if he didn't think he did. He was liked, because he listened to other mechs and he was kind, putting their welfare before his own. The minibot that was always grumbling could always find that Trailbreaker would listen to his grumbles and by the end, the minibot was feeling better and grumbling a lot less. The scout that would come in, downcast and weary, could find a willing listener in Trailbreaker and would leave with a lighter step and a smile on his face from Trailbreaker's support and honest assessment of his mission.

Special Ops mechs would huddle with Trailbreaker and lay out a whole series of missions, if Sunstreaker was reading the situation properly, and leave with new insights, if the excited whispering was any indication.

In fact, there was no one that disliked Trailbreaker, as far as Sunstreaker could find out, and a whole bunch of mechs that would like to know Trailbreaker better, although the black mech fended off any mech interested in him. They never went far away, though, since Trailbreaker also had a knack for turning them down in such a way that they remained friends. Sunstreaker found this fascinating.

He decided to pursue Trailbreaker himself. He was the best looking mech he knew, and he'd succeed where others had failed. Sideswipe figured he'd swapped out his processor and had gotten an inferior one as a replacement, and he said so in so many words, which led to the twins fighting each other in the barracks after Sunstreaker lunged for Sideswipe and knocked him into a set of bunks, which knocked over the next set until the entire barracks was a shambles.

The new recruits were set to cleaning their barracks, then Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were escorted to the brig for the off-cycle.

"He'll never listen to you, Sunny!" Sideswipe hissed.

"Shut up, Sides, and don't call me Sunny. I'm mad at you." Sunstreaker snarled back.

"You're an idiot." Sideswipe told him.

"Takes one to know one." Sunstreaker retorted.

Sideswipe growled at him, and Sunstreaker rumbled back. The guard came in and glared at them. They moved to opposite sides of their cells, as far away from each other as they could get in the cells, and turned their backs to the other, falling into a short recharge until the shift change.

The next on-cycle, Ironhide came to retrieve them from the brig. He walked with them to the medbay, where he turned Sideswipe over to Hacksaw, the chief medic, to catalog the parts in the storeroom off the medbay. Ironhide then led Sunstreaker to the tactical division and turned him over to Smokescreen.

"Good," Smokescreen said briskly, "glad you're here. Let's get cracking."

He led Sunstreaker to a large room where large tables were scattered around the perimeter.

"This layout is inefficient and one of our tacticians figured out that we can get four more tables in here if we rearrange. So you're here to help us move all these tables and bring the new ones in. They are actually fragile and cost more than you're worth, so don't drop them and set them down CAREFULLY, got it?"

Sunstreaker said, "Got it."

"Good, let's get started."

The entire tactical division was there to help, and to Sunstreaker's quiet pleasure, he was paired with Trailbreaker. As the two biggest mechs there, they were tasked with moving all the tables while other mechs moved the rest of the equipment around. It was really nice, spending so much time with Trailbreaker and being able to watch him. By the end of the cycle, the room was finished and Sunstreaker was pedes over helm for Trailbreaker. The mech was just so darn attractive, and his personality made him even more attractive. Sunstreaker couldn't believe that the mechling he'd made fun of so long ago had turned into this gorgeous, fascinating mech.

The nicest thing was that in the tactical room, Trailbreaker was at ease enough to have retracted his visor, which opened his face and let everyone see how attractive he really was. He was also tactile, touching mechs on the shoulder to draw their attention, squeezing upper arms as he complimented the job they'd done, and slapping a couple mechs across the back in congratulations when they successfully broke free a piece of equipment that had apparently rusted into place. Sunstreaker watched and catalogued Trailbreaker's interactions with his team.

At the end of shift, Sunstreaker was released from his punishment detail by Smokescreen. He hung back as the tactical bots began trailing out, hoping to walk with Trailbreaker to the cantina.

Instead, Trailbreaker went over to one of the tables and turned it on, bringing up a holographic projection of the last battle they'd had against the Decepticons, just two cycles previously.

"Sunstreaker?" Smokescreen said, drawing his attention with a light touch to his elbow.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm coming." Sunstreaker said, turning away and following Smokescreen instead, leaving Trailbreaker behind.

* * *

In the orns that followed, Sunstreaker kept watching Trailbreaker. He didn't go out of his way to find the defensive tactician, but somehow, they kept crossing paths and Sunstreaker took advantage of that, observing Trailbreaker and doing his best to draw Trailbreaker's attention to himself.

Which is, of course, how things came to a head. Sunstreaker was in the cantina, showing another batch of recruits around because Ironhide had been called to the Prime's office for some reason. Any Autobot could serve as a guide to the new recruits and all did so to one degree or another. Sideswipe would have been telling the newbies about ways to break the rules, but Sunstreaker didn't do that. He figured those of that type of processor would figure it out soon enough and those that weren't didn't need to know the hidden side of being in a large group.

"…and this is our tactical and strategic division, the mechs that help figure out what's happening in a battle and how we can defeat the Decepticons. Be nice to them, they literally hold your spark in their hands each battle. Trailbreaker, when is the last time you refueled?" Sunstreaker asked the big mech, who was swaying slightly.

Trailbreaker looked up and said, "I…don't know."

"Too long ago, then," Sunstreaker said briskly. "you're coming to the cantina with us."

Trailbreaker opened his mouth to object, but the warnings started flashing on his HUD as soon as he started moving, and he subsided, letting Sunstreaker save his work and guide him out of the room.

Once in the cantina, Sunstreaker showed the new recruits how to use their IDs to draw a ration, pushing his into Trailbreaker's hands and watching as the big mech sucked it down. He held out his hand for Trailbreaker's ID and used it to draw two rations, noting that the big mech had missed his last five. He brought the two rations over to the table and handed one to Trailbreaker, keeping the other. He also returned Trailbreaker's ID.

Trailbreaker drank this next ration much more slowly, nursing it along. Sunstreaker drank his as he answered questions from the new recruits. He was glad when his brother came over and joined them, since Sideswipe was able to get the recruits to talking without the uncomfortable silences he seemed to engender. He was also able to focus his attention on Trailbreaker and watch how he drank his ration slowly. Puzzled, Sunstreaker pinged Ironhide.

_::Is Trailbreaker fully fueled?::_

Ironhide must have pinged Trailbreaker, because he got up and walked over to the table, making a place for himself next to the black mech. Sunstreaker eased his seat closer, but kept his optics on the new recruits that Sideswipe had laughing and telling stories.

"Trailbreaker, we have the fuel, and having you under-fueled is not good. We need your processor sharp, which means you need to be at a much higher performance level than you are currently." Ironhide whispered to Trailbreaker.

"'Hide, I don't need the fuel right now. I use too much as it is, let me have my downtime without pushing what I don't need on me." Trailbreaker hissed back.

Ironhide frowned at him. "Are you going to take any with you, or are you going to go into stasis because you don't have enough to get through recharge and wake up?"

"I did that once, Ironhide, only once." Trailbreaker grumbled.

"You'd do it more often, but we all keep an optic on you and your fuel use. For Primus' sake, Trailbreaker, Optimus uses more fuel than you do, and he never stints himself!"

"He's the Prime, we need him." Trailbreaker retorted.

"We need you, too. Don't be a fool. You have one more ration before you leave here, or I'm calling Ratchet. And take one with you so you can have it when you come out of recharge. That's an order." Ironhide stood up and went back to his table, sitting so he could watch Trailbreaker.

Sunstreaker kept his optics firmly on the other end of the table, where Sideswipe had started a rousting song of 'Megatron's bathing in the Pit tonight' and pretended to ignore Trailbreaker as he rose and drew two more rations, tucking one into his subspace as he brought the other back to the table to drink.

When Trailbreaker finished his cube and stood, Sunstreaker also stood up.

"I've got patrol in the morning, so I'd better get my recharge. Walk with me, Trailbreaker?" Sunstreaker asked.

Trailbreaker looked as if he wanted to refuse, but there was no polite way to do that, so he nodded and walked out with Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker looked over at him and asked, "So, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Trailbreaker stopped and turned to Sunstreaker, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him away slightly.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'm not interested. You were a jerk to me when we were young and as far as I can tell, you and your brother still like to pick on others and I don't want anything to do with you."

Sunstreaker said, "I've changed!"

"Not seeing it." Trailbreaker said. "Just last orn you AND Sideswipe got sent to the brig for rigging the communal showers to turn everyone orange."

Sunstreaker said, "I didn't do it. Really!" He emphasized at Trailbreaker's look of doubt.

"And yet you served the brig time." Trailbreaker said.

"Sides DID do it, and I don't leave him hanging. He's my brother, I back him up." Sunstreaker defended himself.

Trailbreaker shook his head. "I'm not interested in getting tangled up in one of your schemes. Leave me alone and I'll keep quiet about the pranks you do with your brother."

"But, what can I do to show you I'm genuinely interested in you?" Sunstreaker wanted to know.

Trailbreaker barked out a short, hard laugh. "Nothing. I don't trust you and I won't believe you."

Trailbreaker broke contact and walked away, leaving Sunstreaker standing in the hall, forlorn.

* * *

The next cycle, Sunstreaker looked for Trailbreaker, but the mech was avoiding him and doing a fine job of it. Sunstreaker finally had to break off the search to go to his duty station, which happened to be the weapons locker under Ironhide's watchful optics. Sunstreaker made himself comfortable at a table and began stripping weapons down, checking them for wear, replacing springs and other parts as needed, and giving everything a good oiling. He and Ironhide worked companionably for a long time, until Ironhide asked him,

"What's between you and Trailbreaker?"

Sunstreaker thought about what he wanted to say before replying.

"We…used to go to the same primary school. Uh, he and I didn't get along when we were young." Sunstreaker shrugged. "I've grown up, changed, but 'Breaker's having a hard time seeing the changes, I guess."

Ironhide continued to work, his optics intent on what he was doing. "Trailbreaker has an image of himself as an ugly mech that's clumsy and doesn't contribute much."

Sunstreaker turned to him, quietly furious. "Trailbreaker is smart, and he works hard, and he's managed to figure out what the Decepticons are doing and we've been able to stop them, the last two battles, and his defense measures are impressive and he's _gorgeous_."

"To you and me, sure, I'd buy that. To him? No way. He doesn't see it." Ironhide said comfortably.

Sunstreaker returned his attention to the weapon in front of him, swiftly stripping it down as he fumed.

Gradually, the repetitive task soothed him, and he was calmer when he said, "I just wish I could get Trailbreaker to see himself the way I see him."

Ironhide chuckled, "Many mechs have tried, Sunstreaker, what makes you think you'll succeed where they haven't?"

"Because I'm me and not them," Sunstreaker promptly answered, "and I'll make him see what I see."

Ironhide huffed out a laugh. "Good luck, Sunstreaker. I mean that most sincerely."

Sunstreaker looked at him carefully, but Ironhide didn't seem to be joking, going back to his work until the end of the shift.

Sunstreaker tried to get Trailbreaker alone, but Trailbreaker seemed to be two steps ahead of Sunstreaker, and the warrior couldn't get Trailbreaker away from the mechs that were protecting the strategist from him.

Sideswipe sat Sunstreaker down for a spark-to-spark talk.

"Look, brother mine, you need to just back off. Be yourself, don't chase him. Too many mechs have chased him, and he's really wary of that kind of mech. So…be different. Don't chase him, act like you were before you decided you wanted him, and I'll stop involving you in my pranks. Wait for the right moment." Sideswipe told him.

"When's the right moment?" Sunstreaker asked.

"You'll know it when it happens," Sideswipe promised him, "and you'll be ready to take advantage of the opportunity."

* * *

So, for a very long vorn, Sunstreaker didn't blatantly chase Trailbreaker. He was simply _there_, just as so many mechs were. The difference was that Sunstreaker always gave Trailbreaker his own nod, every time he saw him. Eventually, Trailbreaker relaxed around Sunstreaker and stopped trying to hide from him. He didn't treat Sunstreaker any differently than he treated any other mech, but they came to an uneasy and unspoken truce, although Trailbreaker still shied away from Sunstreaker if he tried to touch the black mech.

The truce lasted until a major battle between the Decepticons and the Autobots for the future of Vos, when everything changed.

The battle was furious, dusty, and long. Trailbreaker was pulled away from the strategy tables to use his force fields to rescue small groups of mechs that got cut off from their units by the ebb and flow of the fighting. The terrain around Vos was choppy, broken up by spars and low ground next to high, ridges of metal jutting out over flat areas. It made staying together difficult, and the Prime was determined that no forces would be left behind to be slaughtered by the Decepticons.

Trailbreaker didn't complain, going where he was directed and shielding the small groups, often with injured members, back to the main forces.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were busy themselves, coming in with small groups of their own, then heading back out. The battle was not going well for the Autobots, and every warrior was doing their best to bring their units back safely, while still fighting furiously against the enemy forces.

Neither side was helped by the Vosnians, who had taken a neutral position in the civil war and who were defending their aeries to the best of their considerable ability.

"It's difficult to fight a battle on two fronts." Trailbreaker told Prowl, the chief of his division.

"Yes, I know. Do your best." Prowl replied.

"Yes, sir." Trailbreaker responded, heading back into the fray. He was attempting to get to a small group next to one of the highlands that had been pinned down by Decepticons. Getting out to the groups was easy – his force field easily covered him, but getting back could be tricky, depending upon the size of the group he was rescuing.

When he arrived, finally, he mentally groaned. The group was large. He greeted Cliffjumper, who had gathered an artillery group together. They were in their alt-forms, firing with beautiful timing upon the Decepticon grunts facing them. They were in no danger of being overrun, but they also couldn't break free because as soon as they stopped firing, the Decepticon heavies facing them would move in and destroy them.

"Nasty," Trailbreaker commented to Cliffjumper, "what's kept those guys back long enough for you get in this position?"

Cliffjumper silently pointed to the Decepticon left, where a sudden flurry of movement was occurring. The Decepticon that had been targeted went down, and Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, whooping with glee, came screaming back to the Autobot line, the artillery covering their escape.

"You'd think the Decepticons would notice them. It's not like their paint jobs aren't bright yellow and red, for Primus' sake, but no, they seem to be able to sneak in and put the 'Cons in complete disarray, which allows us to move a little. Roll out!" Cliffjumper yelled, and the Autobots smoothly moved to the next highland, shadowed by the Decepticons soon thereafter.

Trailbreaker sighed. This wasn't going to be an easy rescue. He and Cliffjumper huddled, joined soon by the twins, to figure out how to get such a large unit away from the wall they had their backs against, and back to the Autobot lines.

"Pull back and fire as we go. This unit's good enough to do it if we let them." Cliffjumper said.

"I agree." Sunstreaker's opinion was voiced quietly.

"But what if they're not?" Sideswipe asked.

"That's what I'm for," Trailbreaker answered, "to cover anyone that falls behind."

"Sounds like we've got a plan, let's do it." Cliffjumper said. He moved and huddled with the unit's commander, even as the mech was firing shells from his alt-mode. He came back to Trailbreaker and reported, "They're ready, let's go!"

The unit swung into motion, a third of them pulling back, then covering as another third joined them, then the last third. In this manner, staggering their lines and their firing patterns, the unit began pulling back. Trailbreaker was busy, usually assisting the last third as they ceased firing to pull back. At that point, they were vulnerable and open to attack, and the Decepticons had been slowly picking the unit off when they'd tried this maneuver before. Now, with Trailbreaker, they were covered and able to get back to their unit will no losses.

The Decepticons got increasingly desperate as the unit got closer to the main lines, and the twins and Cliffjumper were kept busy keeping the 'Cons from sweeping in from their flanks, while Trailbreaker held the center with his force fields.

Finally their luck ran out, and Trailbreaker took a hit from a Decepticon shell that came from slightly behind and above him. He was a burly mech, so the damage wasn't severe, but it was enough to cause his attention to waver and the force field collapsed.

"GO!" roared Sunstreaker to the artillery team. They heeded him, racing back to the lines that were pouring fire on the 'Cons. Sunstreaker nabbed Trailbreaker and flung him over his shoulder to take him back, while Sideswipe and Cliffjumper flanked him and covered his retreat with the wounded Trailbreaker.

Trailbreaker, in pain and upside down, felt his processors shutting down.

When he awoke, Ratchet, the Prime's latest chief medical officer, was peering down at him. "It's about time you came back. How are you feeling?"

Trailbreaker took a moment to let his damage reports scroll across his HUD. "Fine, I guess."

"I do good work. He's fine, you can leave now." Ratchet addressed the latter over Trailbreaker's shoulder. Trailbreaker craned his neck to look over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of yellow leaving the medbay.

"Slagger refused to leave until he knew you were alright." Ratchet muttered, plugging into Trailbreaker's medical port and running a diagnostic. "Alright, you're cleared. Come back if anything feels off or isn't working properly."

Trailbreaker nodded, rolling off the cot and making his way out. The Decepticons had called off their attack for the cycle and the Autobots were preparing for the next assault. Trailbreaker joined the tactical team in analyzing the battle.

"The terrain is killing us," one of the other tacticians said. "We can't seem to get around it well enough to launch a cohesive assault."

"Ideas?" Prowl asked, looking around at the group.

Trailbreaker had pulled up old battles from before the Golden Age, battles against aliens, and gave his opinion. "We need to stop treating the terrain as obstacles and start treating it like another weapon we can use. We can hide forces behind the little highlands, send other forces to each side, and when the flanks have passed the highland, the other unit rolls around the highland and fills the hole in the line."

"Good point," Prowl said. "What else?"

"The highlands make good height. Put artillery forces up there, surround the high ground with support teams, and let the heavy artillery do what they're good at, which is blowing holes in 'Con forces." Trailbreaker answered promptly. "Some of the high ground isn't suitable, but a lot of it is."

Prowl nodded. "Which ones aren't suitable?"

Trailbreaker came forward to the main table and pulled an overlay from his table, showing the topography of the area. The display transformed, giving a three dimensional view of the ground as it existed. He pointed out the highlands that had slopes that were accessible to treads, others that were accessible to wheels, and the third that were only accessible to flyers and thus, worthless to the ground forces that made up the Autobot army.

"Note these," Prowl commanded, "and everyone work with the topography. We should have been doing that from the beginning."

"Yes, sir!" The group broke apart and began working on plans for the next cycle's battle.

Trailbreaker took a break at Prowl's command, to refuel and to thank Sunstreaker. He was able to refuel, but couldn't find Sunstreaker. He asked around, but the yellow warrior was nowhere in camp. Grimacing, because he wanted to put this duty behind him, Trailbreaker returned to his post and worked on battle plans for the rest of the cycle. All around the camp, the bustle of getting ready for battle permeated the area. Medics did final repairs and sent mechs that couldn't be readied for battle to the main encampment, away from the possibility of needing to be evacuated in the midst of battle.

Trailbreaker was prompted by Prowl and several others to top off his fuel systems. Prowl authorized several extra cubes, which he had Trailbreaker subspace, just in case the systems went down and Trailbreaker needed the fuel. Trailbreaker had attempted to argue, but Prowl had gone behind his back and had the Prime send him a counter stamped authorization. Trailbreaker folded and did as ordered, then returned his attention to the tables, trying to puzzle out what the Decepticons were doing here at Vos. While he was working that in the main portion of his processor, he had a small segment set aside to work on the puzzle of Sunstreaker and why he would rescue Trailbreaker. It made no sense and Trailbreaker couldn't fit his behavior into the Sunstreaker he knew.

After the battle, after Vos was lost to the Decepticons, Trailbreaker continued to work the problem of Sunstreaker's behavior, trying to figure out how the mech he'd known as a youngling had turned into the mech he was seeing now.

He also missed Sunstreaker's acknowledgement of himself, as the warrior no longer sought out opportunities to catch Trailbreaker's optics and nod at him, he no longer was among the ranks of mechs that fussed at Trailbreaker to fuel up, and he no longer made opportunities to be around Trailbreaker.

Trailbreaker _missed_ him. He found himself watching Sunstreaker instead, worrying because the mech never joined in the conversations and teasing that permeated the commissary. Sunstreaker watched, an observer at all times, but only a participant if his brother dragged him into it. He also noticed things he'd missed, or dismissed, before. Sunstreaker was a great mech to take new recruits around. He told them how everything worked, he never set them up for pranks, he was good as seeing their abilities and subtly pushing them toward a good mentor who could help them develop those abilities. He was a good leader of groups, leading from the front and willing to risk himself to rescue mechs from his unit. Trailbreaker was seeing a different mech than the one he'd gone to school with, and he was having to reconcile the differences in his processor. Sunstreaker _was_ right, he had changed.

Their situations were now reversed. Trailbreaker found himself fascinated by Sunstreaker, whereas Sunstreaker ignored him unless it was a professional situation. In despair, Trailbreaker finally cornered Sideswipe.

"Look, I know I'm an idiot, but what can I do to get Sunstreaker's attention?" Trailbreaker asked, the two of them hunched over rations in a corner table in the commissary.

Sideswipe looked at him for a long time, sipping his energon and considering. Finally, he said, "Have you talked to Sunny?"

"How?" Trailbreaker wanted to know. "He's rarely around, and if I make a move toward him, he slips away."

Sideswipe thought about that for a time, then said, "Alright, I'll help you. But if you hurt him, you'll face both of us."

Trailbreaker nodded in understanding.

Sideswipe was as good as his word and the next cycle, Trailbreaker found himself with a passkey to one of the storerooms and instructions to talk fast. He swiped the card through the door's lock and stepped in.

Sunstreaker was pacing away from him, but at the sound of the door opening he whirled around and began to speak.

"Frag it, Sides, what's so important…"

Trailbreaker began speaking. "Sunstreaker, I just want a breem of your time. Please, hear me out."

Sunstreaker reared back, his face tightening and his arms crossing in front him, defensiveness radiating from his frame. He nodded, jerkily, and Trailbreaker nodded back.

"Thank you. I, um, just wanted to, uh, tell you that really appreciated you rescuing me at Vos. I, uh, miss you. Can't we, um, start again?" Trailbreaker was wringing his hands as he forced the words out. He was also looking down at the floor, so he missed Sunstreaker moving closer to him until fingers curled under his chin and tipped his helm up so he was looking at Sunstreaker.

The warrior examined him critically for a long time, and it was all Trailbreaker could do to hold that stare. He wanted to hide, to have Mirage's ability to become invisible to the normal spectrum of optics, to be able to sink through the floor and never, ever have to see Sunstreaker again.

Sunstreaker smiled at him, and Trailbreaker's thoughts scattered like rust before the wind.

"Yes, let's begin again. Hello, my name is Sunstreaker. What's yours?"

Trembling, Trailbreaker extended his hand to clasp Sunstreaker's extended one. "Hi, I'm Trailbreaker."

"Trailbreaker. It's good to meet you." Sunstreaker's voice was low.

"Yes, it's good to meet you." Trailbreaker's voice was husky.

They smiled at each other.

And with that, they embarked on a new phase of their lives. They courted each other, moving slowly, vowing to each other that they would talk to the other and not jump to conclusions. They also vowed to protect each other and not say or do anything that would damage the other, either with words or with their bodies. Slowly, carefully, they became closer and closer until they reached the next hurdle.

"I'm not really comfortable with this, Sunstreaker." Trailbreaker told him.

Sunstreaker sighed. "Alright, Trailbreaker. I understand." He let go of Trailbreaker's hand and put some space between them, giving Trailbreaker a small smile as he did so.

Trailbreaker appreciated, deeply, how considerate Sunstreaker was being. He knew Sunstreaker had interfaced before, but he never had and he was nervous about taking that next step, especially with Sunstreaker.

Ironhide cornered him one cycle, pulling him into the weapons locker and asking bluntly, "What are you doing, Trailbreaker?"

"Going to my shift?" Trailbreaker responded, not understanding.

Ironhide stared at him, then said, "No, with Sunstreaker. What are you doing?"

"Oh." Trailbreaker said. "Well, I'm not sure that's any of your business, Ironhide."

Ironhide growled at him, and Trailbreaker took a step back, startled at this reaction from someone he considered a friend.

"Look, Trailbreaker, you're leading Sunstreaker on, and it's not fair to him or to you. You've got him on a chain, and you're yanking it just to lead him around, OR you're serious about him and scared to make the jump. Either one is not good. Let him go or dive in, mech." Ironhide said.

Trailbreaker gaped at him until Ironhide made a shooing motion with his hands. He turned on his heel and left for his duty station, thinking about what Ironhide had said in a small portion of his processor.

After his shift, he went to the cantina and as expected, Sunstreaker was sitting along in a corner. Trailbreaker pulled a ration, then scanned the rest of the cantina. He nodded to several mechs, but moved over to Sunstreaker in preference to the others. He settled his armor around himself in a determined manner, then pulled the chair opposite Sunstreaker and settled into it. Sunstreaker looked up at him and gave him a small nod before burying himself in his own ration. Trailbreaker took a pull from his cube before reaching out and touching the back of Sunstreaker's hand. He'd thought about what Ironhide had said, and was ready to dive in. He hoped he wouldn't regret his decision.

Sunstreaker looked at him and froze. Trailbreaker didn't know what he saw, but he felt as if the air had grown heavy enough to register as pressure all along his plating, the weight of expectations and uncertainty giving the look unexpected gravitas.

Sunstreaker broke the stare and said quietly, "Finish your ration."

Trailbreaker did so, gulping it down quickly before rising. Sunstreaker followed closely behind him as they left the cantina.

Trailbreaker did his best to remember to ventilate his systems occasionally, but he was swamped by uncertainty and a touch of fear and his armor would clamp down, overheating his body until he remember to vent and loosen plates. Then a few moments later, he'd be doing it again, tightening everything until warnings would begin to flash. He couldn't help it. This was a plunge he'd avoided for too long, and now he had no idea what to do or how to do it.

Sunstreaker didn't speak either, he merely led them to the weapons locker and entered the code for the back where the weapons were stored.

Trailbreaker said faintly, "Here?"

Sunstreaker turned and grinned at him, and Trailbreaker was caught up in how _beautiful_ Sunstreaker was when he smiled like that.

"Yes, here. It's private, it's locked, Ironhide knows we're here so he won't come running, and very few mechs know the code to the doors. Or would you rather try to find privacy in the barracks?" Sunstreaker asked.

"There is no privacy in the barracks, and my quarters aren't much better. Four mechs to a room, and someone always off-shift so it's always occupied? This is as good a place as any, I guess." Trailbreaker responded.

Sunstreaker walked to the back and opened a locker, pulling a shooting mat out and spreading it out on the floor before reclining and extending a hand toward Trailbreaker.

Trailbreaker came forward hesitantly, sliding his hand into Sunstreaker's and falling to his knees next to the warrior. Sunstreaker pulled him down into a hug and they lay that way until Trailbreaker's ventilations eased and he relaxed. This he knew and was comfortable with, and he appreciated Sunstreaker's restraint.

They cuddled for a long time, then Sunstreaker moved his hands from Trailbreaker's back and slid them along seams, stroking gently. Trailbreaker writhed under the touches, gasping at the sensation, before wrestling his processor under control and attempting to return the caresses.

Sunstreaker wriggled and slid under Trailbreaker, spreading his legs and letting Trailbreaker settle between them. This allowed their interface panels to rub against the other, the friction adding another layer to the arousal steaming the air between them.

Sunstreaker rocked up into Trailbreaker, then took his hand and laid it just above his hip.

"I like to have this connector stroked," Sunstreaker instructed hoarsely. Trailbreaker explored with his fingers, finding the connector Sunstreaker was talking about. He became absorbed in finding places on Sunstreaker's body that wrung moans or gasps from the mech. Sunstreaker restrained himself from arching too much into Trailbreaker's touch, and Trailbreaker reveled in the power he had over this beautiful mech, so open to his touch, so willing to let him touch.

When he brushed his fingers over Sunstreaker's interface panel, Sunstreaker clenched his hands and ground out, "Please…"

"Please, what?" Trailbreaker said, shifting his fingers to Sunstreaker's leg.

"Please, touch me more." Sunstreaker gasped, his hips shifting slightly before he forced himself to stop moving.

Trailbreaker obliged him, moving up his leg and gliding his fingers over that panel. He could see traces of lubricant on the join, and so he traced the edge, smearing the lubricant and outlining Sunstreaker's panel.

The panel retracted, Sunstreaker's valve bared to Trailbreaker's appreciative optics. Trailbreaker slid a finger across the aperture and moved down Sunstreaker's other leg, slickness from Sunstreaker leaving a trail to mark his way back.

He continued to tease Sunstreaker, suddenly unsure of his ability to please the mech. Sunstreaker finally realized something was wrong, because again, he took control.

"I prefer to be spiked, do you mind?" Sunstreaker asked, rocking into Trailbreaker's body with his own and rubbing against Trailbreaker's plating.

Trailbreaker shook his head. In truth, he had no idea which he preferred, but spiking seemed easier than being spiked and less painful, too. His panel slid open and his spike began to extend, reaching for the heat Sunstreaker was radiating.

Sunstreaker spread his legs further apart and Trailbreaker found his spike naturally fitting into the groove of Sunstreaker's valve. He pushed, but couldn't seem to move forward.

Sunstreaker reached between them and grasped Trailbreaker's spike, running his fingers along it and causing Trailbreaker to gasp and thrust as the sensation overwhelmed his higher functions. Sunstreaker shifted and put the tip of Trailbreaker's spike in a pool of moisture, tugging slightly as he did so. Trailbreaker responded to the cue and pushed forward, moaning as his spike was enveloped in the clasp of Sunstreaker's valve.

He didn't need to think, just move his hips. The pressure and pleasure mingled, the sensations running from his spike through his body, shimmering over his spark and tingling through his limbs. He hoped Sunstreaker was enjoying this, too, because he had no processing space left to figure out what he should be doing for the other mech.

The stroke of each other's components over delicately calibrated sensors soon led to a frenzy of push and pull, retreat and advance, as the two mechs drove themselves higher and higher, the sensations radiating from their connection to the rest of their bodies, sensors tingling with extra energy until Sunstreaker convulsed, the excess charge reaching a critical point and releasing, sending crackles of energy dancing over Sunstreaker's body.

Sunstreaker arched, his valve's calipers spiraling down on Trailbreaker's spike as his systems overloaded, excess energy crackling under his plating and back to Trailbreaker, who froze at the apex of a thrust, his body thrown into its own overload.

Trailbreaker collapsed, falling onto Sunstreaker's chest as Sunstreaker's body relaxed, wisps of smoke from fried relays wafting from under their plating. After a long while, Trailbreaker lifted his head and looked up at Sunstreaker, who gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Sunstreaker." Trailbreaker murmured.

"No, Trailbreaker, thank you, for giving me a chance." Sunstreaker said, wrapping his arms tighter around Trailbreaker, holding him close. "This was wonderful."

Trailbreaker lifted himself from Sunstreaker and pulled the warrior into his arms, sending a signal to the lights of the room. As they dimmed, Sunstreaker curled into his arms and settled, his ventilations wafting warmth across Trailbreaker's chest.

* * *

A/N: This is where my inspiration stopped, and I felt that the prompt had been satisfied, so I stopped here. However, if you have any ideas that could further the story, I would be delighted to hear them. Thank you for reading!


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